Translated by Tamara Barakat

Riad Borhan Taher Kamal was born in Haifa in 1943. After Al-Nakba he immigrated with his family to Jordan. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree and later a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering in 1966 from the Imperial College in the UK. His professional career began in Shahin Construction Company in Jordan in 1967.

In 1974, he moved to the UAE and established, along with a group of Jordanian investors, a private company called Arab Technical Construction Company, later known as Arabtec. After being licensed in 1975, the company started establishing a tower consisting of 17 floors, with an overall capital of 2 million dirham. At that time, this tower was the highest structure in the UEA.

Kamal became the chair of the Board of Directors of Arabtec, which grew to become one of the largest construction companies in the Gulf States and Arab World. The company implemented tens of unique and large buildings and housing complexes, such as the Emirates Hills, Fairmont Hotel, and the highest skyscraper in the world – Burj Dubai.

Kamal served as the chair of the Board of Directors of Arabtec until 2013, when Aabar Investments PJS made an acquisition of Arabtec.

Moreover, Kamal holds several posts, such as Deputy Chairman and board member of the Oman Arab Bank; member of the Board of Directors of Turkland Bank in Istanbul, Turkey; member of the Board of Directors of Arab National
Bank in Saudi Arabia; Advisory Board Member for the Middle East and Africa of Deutsche Bank in Switzerland; founder and board member of DEPA United Group in Dubai; Co-Founder and Director of Gulf Capital; and Board Member of Arabia Insurance Company in Beirut, Lebanon.

Kamal has invested in the education sector in Palestine. He established the Kamal Riad school in Nablus and financially supports many students every year to help them continue their studies abroad. He is also the chair of the Board of Trustees of Taawon Welfare Association, which is one of the largest non-profit organizations for Palestinians in the Diaspora and the Occupied Territories.